


unabridged and overwhelmed

by citrustrees



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, author has OCD which i feel some ppl may want to know, bc then you know it isn't a 'he has to do everything four times!!!!' fic or anything, but i tried to end on an up note at least ??, it's kinda sad and doesn't really have a happy end, ngl this was mostly a vent fic that i'm now publishing on a whim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 10:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25847788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/citrustrees/pseuds/citrustrees
Summary: ‘I know what you’re going to say.’ Tim’s eyes look vacant as he speaks, his face expressionless. ‘But this isn’t that.’--a very short Tim-has-OCD fic
Relationships: Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Duke Thomas, Tim Drake & Everyone
Comments: 6
Kudos: 68





	unabridged and overwhelmed

**Author's Note:**

> so this was mostly a vent fic that i wrote a month ago, but i don't want it to just stay in my drafts lmao
> 
> warning that the whole thing is about having OCD, so don't read if that might be triggering for you <3
> 
> title is from 'three' by sleeping at last, and it's funny bc it says 'unabridged' but this is the shortest fic known to man :')

‘Stop showering for just one second, I’m coming in!’

She opens the door as Tim wraps a towel around himself. The room is full of steam. His skin, or what Steph can see of it, is painfully red, though whether that’s from the washing or the heat Steph can’t say. 

‘I know what you’re going to say.’ Tim’s eyes look vacant as he speaks, his face expressionless. ‘But this isn’t that.’

‘I wasn’t going to say anything. I just came to check on you, because you’ve been in here for-’ She checks the clock. ‘Jesus Christ, Tim, it’s almost been two hours.’

‘Has it?’ Still, no emotions register. 

‘Yeah, it has. Look, Tim, no offence, but this sure seems like _that_.’

‘Well it _isn’t_.’ Tim snaps, looking annoyed. Steph supposes she should count any emotion as some sort of victory. ‘It isn’t, so thanks for checking on me and all, but now you can go.’

‘You’re gonna keep showering?!’

‘I’m not clean yet.’ Tim answers quietly, like he didn’t mean to say it outloud. Noticing, he frowns. ‘Steph, that’s not what I meant.’

‘No?’

‘No.’ A beat. ‘Yes, that _is_ what I meant, but just because we were all literally doused in blood. It’s the sensible thing to do.’

‘We were _all_ doused, Timmy.’ Steph says, gently. ‘And the rest of us finished showering an hour ago, tops. I’ve had time to dry my hair, write my report, and eat a sandwich, and you’re still in here.’

‘Well maybe you’re all just gross.’

‘Tim.’

‘Steph! No, I’m serious! Why am I the weird one for actually taking the time to make sure I’m clean?! Maybe it’s all of you who are insanitary!’

‘Tim.’

‘Stop, Steph, stop looking at me like I’m fucking _crazy_ or something!’

‘I’m not-’

‘ _Yes_ , you are! You haven’t even stopped for a second to think, ‘ _maybe_ Tim’s _right!_ Maybe I should still be washing, too, to protect myself from contamination and-’ His eyes squeeze shut, fists clenching for just a moment before he goes on. ‘I know what you’re thinking and I know what this looks like but this isn’t _that!_ I’d know if it was and it just isn’t! I’m fine!’

‘Okay.’

‘So you can leave now.’

‘Okay. But how much longer are you gonna stay in?’

‘Until I’m clean.’ He says, the unspoken _‘and that’s final’_ following. 

Steph sighs. ‘Okay.’

-

Outside, only Duke and Cass are still down. Cass is sitting cross-legged in the chair at the batcomputer, but backwards, so she can lean her body forward onto the backrest. Duke is behind her, both of them facing away from the screens, his fingers twisting her hair into braids. He doesn’t look up when Steph enters the main space, but calls softly over to her.

‘How’re things?’

She grimaces, ‘bad.’

‘He’s not coming out?’

‘Not yet.’

‘Did you ask him?’

‘He _says_ he’s fine.’ She puts the emphasis on ‘says’, to show what she thinks of _that._

‘Not ready.’ Cass joins in. ‘Give him… time.’

‘How much time until we stage an intervention?’ Duke asks, pulling a hairband off his wrist to finish Cass’s hair.

‘Hmm.’

‘Are we ready to call this what it is?’ He says. Steph bites her lip.

‘It could be something else…’

‘Whatever it is,’ Cass says, ‘he has the same… ugh, word?’

‘Symptoms?’ Duke supplies. Cass snaps her finger and points behind her, in his general direction.

‘Symptoms. Same symptoms.’

A moment passes. Cass hops out of her chair, gesturing for Steph to take her turn being braided, then drags a rolly chair over to sit opposite them.

‘When you are finished,’ she begins, ‘we should do films. And blankets, and…’ she drags the word out as she thinks, ‘snacks and drinks!’

‘For Tim?’ Duke checks.

‘Not just for Tim. Us too. We’re tired.’ She slumps down in the chair for effect, closing her eyes and sticking out her tongue. She very nearly falls asleep there and then, and has to blink forcefully for the next few seconds to wake up again.

‘Right, give me a second-’ Duke quickly finishes off the single braid he’s pulled Steph’s hair into, significantly more rushed than Cass’s two French braids, but she doesn’t mind. They have a task now.

-

Tim comes out of the showers twenty minutes later, feeling- nothing. Which isn’t unusual as much as it is annoying. Or it would be, if he could be bothered to feel annoyance. 

He’s been getting worse. 

Distantly, his brain tells him to get his shit together before it falls apart, but more close is the voice telling him he’s _right_ to be doing this, _right_ when everyone else is wrong, wrong, _wrong._ It sort of disgusts him to think about, actually, how little everyone else cares about it all. Especially about their hygiene. How can they be so cavalier? Was he ever like that? Is he supposed to want to be like that? 

He doesn’t. Tim literally cannot think of anything worse in this moment than becoming like that. 

The cave is empty, so he allows himself a minute to scrunch up as small as he can get, crouched on the floor, careful not to touch it with anything but his feet, just breathing, with his face screwed up and head in his arms. Then he straightens up and heads up to the manor.

-

He’s about to walk up to his room to pass out before Duke, waving, catches his attention.

‘Hey, no pressure, but we were about to start a film, if you wanted to join? Minimal talking, maximum film.’ 

‘That… sounds good.’

‘And we’ve got prepackaged snacks and everything!’

Tim smiles, weakly. ‘You’re not smooth, Mr. ‘oh Tim we just _happened_ to be about to watch a film if you _possibly_ want to join us?’ What film even is it?’

‘... Star Trek: Into Darkness?’

‘Oh my God.’ Tim says, but he’s grinning. ‘Then what are we waiting for?!’

**Author's Note:**

> and then they watched the film + didn't pressure Tim to join the cuddle pile but he chilled on a soft blanket by himself + they all fell asleep after abt 20 minutes
> 
> pls lmk what you think ! hope you're all staying safe and doing okay ❤️


End file.
